This is a very beautiful 1929
era
Mauser American Eagle that is made to commercial specifications with strawed parts
and a beautifully buffed and salt blued finished example of very pristine Luger.
(ameaglemas)

This Parabellum is
7.65mm with a 116mm (4 3/4") barrel with fixed front blade sight and rear "V" notch
sight.

Serial number placement is in the
commercial (hidden) style. The thumb
safety is marked "Gesichert" and extractor "Geladen."

The barrel is Crown U proofed and there is also an Oberndorf proof on the
front of the front sight.

This is a no hold-open variation and there is no stock lug. The Swiss and
Portuguese contract guns also did not have the stock lug which is assumed
was retained to simply hold the gun during finishing and not for issue
with a stock.

This example has
all matching numbers.

The magazine is exceptionally clean. Commercial
magazine were sold unnumbered.

It is known that the Dutch
ordered the first Lugers from Mauser after it assimilated the DWM
machinery and parts in July 1928. The first order was for serial number
1-77 (no letter suffix) and in February 1929 ordered 78-569 (no
letter suffix); these were for DWM toggles.

Every Luger wants to tell us a story and
this one requires that we look hard to reveal its secrets.

The lack of a letter suffix places this
gun in the very early production of Mausers. The Crown N
(commercial proof) complies with the German commercial proof rules.

The Crown U (Oberndorf) proof is one of
the early Mauser identifications. There is NO GERMANY export
stamp so here is where the dichotomy begins. If this were made for
export, as the Stoeger series of American Eagles, those were all export
marked according to the custom laws, it would be so stamped. Another
rarity.

In the early 1930's Mauser filled an
American Eagle contract for Stoeger from assembled DWM parts and stamped
them with the Stoeger name in a three line version. These were the
"v" series contract guns.

This Luger has no letter suffix, and the
serial number (100) places it right in front of the Mauser Banner
Turkish contract (see our Turkish Security Police [Serial #101] under the
Mauser Logo Lugers for Sale.

All the clues point to a mock up or
salesman's sample for either the factory (no export stamp) or to show
Stoeger how the end product would be. I'm thinking this is a
one-of-one until Serial #99 turns up.

From within the range of
the Dutch February 1929 order (78-569, no letter suffix) we have the
Turkish Contract (101-128). These are Banner toggles, no letter
suffix, crown Oberndorf proofed just like the Persian order (260-298).
These are known Lugers, inspected by experts.

Here are some more detailed
pictures for you to examine this beautiful Luger. Enjoy.

Collectors want their Lugers to fall into nice neat categories. The fact is, the rule of
Luger variations is, there is no rule.

Kenyon in Lugers at Random, (P.250) describes the beginning
of the Crown U and
recognizes the salt blue finishes of the earlier Mausers.

The finish on this gun is superb with little evidence of buff marks, deep
proofs and excellent blue.

The straw blued parts, the lack of a serial number on the extractor and
the placement of serial numbers make this Luger extraordinary.

Crown U proof is on the underside of the barrel, the front of the frame,
on the receiver, on the front sight all in clean deep proofs.

Perhaps this was one of the very early
commercial Lugers that went from the Banner Toggle to the S/42,
(accounting for the special marking of the magazine). Perhaps a model that
didn't go to the field since there is little evidence it has been fired.
We will never know except to admire the craftsmanship this particular
Luger brings to us.

This Luger is very clean both inside and
out. It has been cared for very carefully over the years to preserve this
handsome variation.

Such a unique serial number makes it
highly desirable addition to one's collection or as an investment Luger.

This is a very historical gun from the proof stand point indicating the
transition in Mauser production.